Madison Heights man charged in knife attack over missing car keys

A Madison Heights man is accused of turning violent at a party when police say he couldn’t find his car keys and cut a man’s ear with a knife.

Police said they believe the suspect — James D. Wasson, 52 — was high on crack cocaine when he threatened to kill people over his missing keys.

“He apparently started accusing everybody and throwing furniture around,” said Hazel Park Police Lt. Brian Buchholz. “There was some drug use going on at the house and the suspect grabbed a kitchen knife with an 8-inch blade.”

In his rage the suspect cut the ear of a Hazel Park man, 57, police said.

“The victim received 14 stitches before he was released from the hospital,” Buchholz said.

Wasson also threatened a woman, 24, with the knife but she was uninjured, police said.

The suspect was arraigned Tuesday before Hazel Park 43rd District Judge Charles Goedert on charges of felony assault, and assault with intent to cause great bodily harm less than murder.

Wasson is jailed on $500,000 cash bond and is scheduled to appear in court at 1 p.m. Tuesday for a pre-exam conference.

Police said they were called to the house in the 5600 block of E. Annabelle about 8:30 p.m. Monday after the suspect cut the man’s ear.

At one point, police said, Wasson yelled out a threat to kill everyone in the house.

Wasson fled out a back door and jumped a fence after officers showed up but was finally caught and arrested a couple of blocks away, Buchholz said.

The assault charge against Wasson for cutting the man’s ear is punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
The charge for threatening the woman with a knife is a four-year felony.

Wasson has a lengthy criminal record dating back to 1980, according to Michigan Department of Corrections records. He was released from prison in 2011 after serving 11 years for multiple burglary convictions in Oakland and Macomb counties.

Wasson’s record also shows convictions for auto theft, breaking and entering, and larceny in a building.